Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Tag Force 2 Prologue: History of K
by Hiyuusha
Summary: They had lost. All their preparation, All the time they spent journeying across spacetime... It was all for naught. And to think, it was all because of her; the one woman in the world who managed to do what no else could: Bring Red Hat and the Signers to their knees. An Interlude featuring Major Character Deaths. Knowledge of the original Tag Force Story is advised.
1. Part One

_They had lost._

 _All of their preparation..._

 _All of their journeys across dimensions..._

 _It was all for naught._

 _And to think, it was all because of her._

 _Her; the one woman in the world who managed to do what no else could:_

 _ **Bring Red Hat and the Signers to their knees.**_

Konami hissed as his body slammed against the floor of the Vylon Temple. The open wounds sprinkled across his body surged with pain upon impact, and he was fairly sure that his right arm had been broken the blow. He pushed past the pain and crawled to his knees, searching for the clarity that Yusei had displayed earlier so that he could rise back to his feet-

" _No_."

His enemy's hiss was the only warning he received. A second passed, and Konami let out a roar of pain as a mechanical spear drove its way through his left leg, pinning him to the ground.

Konami gripped his sweaty palms around the spear and attempted to remove it from his appendage, but it was no use. The weapon launched from the woman's machine was simply too heavy for a mere mortal to lift on their own.

He was stuck there.

Unable to move - unable to dodge-!

 _"Finish him."_

A second spear launched, poised for his very heart.

The attack struck true.

But the victim was not the one expected.

It was...

"W-Wisteria..." Konami breathed, staring wide-eyed at the woman who was suddenly standing before him. The spear had impaled her right through the center, but despite the immense pain she must have been feeling, there was an unmistakable smile on her face as she turned toward him.

"Konami-kun..." she whispered softly, "Are you...okay...?"

Konami didn't answer. He couldn't answer. How could he, when he'd just watched her take a fatal blow for him?

"W-Wisteria-" he gasped, extending a hand toward her.

She smiled and reached back, but before their hands could meet, the spear retracted, releasing a neverending spray of blood into the air. Wisteria fell forward with a gasp, collapsing into Konami's arms as she gasped and choked for air.

"No...No, no, no..." Konami whispered, cradling the girl with his hands as he searched for any way to stop the bleeding. Of course, there was none. The attack had torn through her completely; she wouldn't last a minute.

"K-Konami," she frothed, blood bubbling from her lips as she tried to speak. She raised a hand toward his face, "I-I'll always love you-"

The hand fell, and her head rolled to the side.

She was gone.

"No..." Konami whispered, bowing his head as he held the corpse close. "Wisteria, I... I can't..."

 _"Can't what?"_

Konami's eyes widened as he heard the voice of his enemy, and he raised his head only to find the older woman standing mere inches before him. Her lips were set in a thin line, masking her emotions with an unnatural veil of calmness one could expect from the creator of the Vylon. Konami felt his rage bubble just by looking at her - she didn't have the right to wear such an expression. Not after what she had done, not with what she planned to do!

He felt his Duel Disk twinge on his arm. If he could just play one last card-!

" _No_." The spear in her hands tore through his shoulder, and it was with a firm snarl that he found himself lifted high into the air by the weapon's sharp tip. "I've seen the magic you and your _'friends'_ are capable of. I will not fall for such tactics again. Besides..." the woman muttered, glancing at the beaten Duel Disk resting on Konami's arm. "They've hit zero long ago."

"I'm going to kill you," Konami promised the woman. "I swear to God, I'll find a way to do it."

The woman must have found some humor in that, because her calm facade cracked, exposing an amused, if not smug, smile.

"God?" she inquired. "Dearest child, haven't you realized by now that it's because of God that I'm here?"

She stepped forward and pressed a cold hand to his cheek.

"You've failed, Konami Kodo," she whispered, rubbing the sweat and blood off his face with her thumb. "All who would oppose me are gone. The Signers, the Nobles, the Rune-eyed heretics... From famous Yusei Fudo, all the way down to your precious little fangirl. They are all gone, but they needn't be. Give me the God Card, and I promise you...in my new world, _some_ of your friends will still be alive."

"Never."

The woman sighed and lowered her hand, "Then you will die. Goodbye, Konami Kodo." She reached for her spear-

"Wait, don't kill him! I'll give you what you want!" a voice called out.

Konami stilled. He knew that voice; he heard it every time he stepped out of his apartment-

"Enzo, what are you doing?" Konami sputtered.

"Saving your life," Enzo said grimly, stepping forward with his hands held high above his head in surrender. A glowing card shone softly in the palms of one of them.

"Ah, the friend." The woman hummed, tossing the spear holding Konami aside so that she could turn toward Enzo. "You did seem to be the smart one."

"You want the God card? Take it!" Enzo shouted, throwing the shining Duel Monsters card down on the floor. "But let the rest of us live. No more Duels, no more killing."

The woman sucked in a breath, _feeling_ the power emanating from the thrown card. "Truly?" she inquired, "No tricks?"

"No tricks," Enzo promised.

"No," Konami grunted, attempting to move to no avail. "Don't give it to her; you...you don't know what she could do with it-"

"We don't have a choice," Enzo said, bowing his head low. "We'll take the deal, no tricks."

The woman smiled, then reached down and wrapped her fingers around the sacred card. Its light shone even brighter the moment it made contact with her, and she gasped, hugging it close to her chest as if embracing a lost family member.

"Finally, I've found it, after all these years..." the woman breathed, knees buckling as she very nearly fell to the ground in relief.

"You've got what you wanted," Enzo told her. "Now keep your side of the deal and let us go."

The woman's body shivered in excitement, not even listening as she summoned a Duel Disk to her side. She placed the card upon it...then vanished upon a gentle breeze.

Enzo took a simple step back, then let himself fall to his knees in relief. He'd done it; he'd saved them...but at what cost?

"Why would you do that?" Konami asked him. "Everyone...Everyone died to keep that card out of Vylon hands. So... So why would you do that?"

"Because, Konami..." Enzo murmured softly while looking at his longtime friend, "It was the only way."

And then, a great mighty dragon burst from the earth.

-TFS-

Konami's eyes shot open and he gasped for air. The terrible dream was gone, replaced only by the rumbling of the tracks outside as a train roared past. He took a deep breath, calming himself as he brushed the bed covers off of his shirtless body.

 _That's right_ , he remembered, rubbing his fingers against his forehead as his eyes adjusted to the darkness of his surroundings. He was in his apartment, away from the nightmarish Disigma and the other monsters found in his sleep. Even so, that dream... it had felt so _real_. Something about it didn't sit right with him-

"Konami?" a familiar voice asked sweetly from his side. "What's wrong?"

Briefly, he paused, before recalling just what-or rather, _who_ he had been doing before turning in for the night prior. Growing a smile, he cast his gaze down to the bed where the worried face of his bedtime companion was waiting.

"It's nothing Wis," he told her, brushing a stray hair out of her face with his finger. "Just a bad dream. Go back to sleep, I'll be back in a minute."

"Mm...okay," Wisteria yawned, adjusting the sheets to cover her exposed skin, "If you're sure. Promise you're alright?"

"Yeah," Konami promised, rising from the bed.

He strode across the room and snatched his pants off the floor, pulling them up his cold and exposed bottom while pushing past the screen door that led to the balcony. It was his favorite place to go when he needed to think; its unobstructed view of the city divide helped keep things in perspective and provided a clear mind whenever he needed to organize his thoughts.

Of course, there was another reason he liked going to the balcony; a darker, more personal meaning that he dare not speak aloud.

It was one of the few places where he was allowed to look down on others without consequence...instead of things being the other way around.

 _That reminds me,_ he thought while gazing down toward the cold streets of the Commons, _that guy in my dream...he had to work his way up from nothing too, didn't he?_

Briefly, he wondered if his mysterious dream was a result of that; perhaps it was some way of his brain attempting to relieve itself of the stress he accrued in his daily life? It certainly would explain a few things - like the remarkable similarities with his and that _other_ Red Hat Konami's deck.

No, preposterous. He had seen it firsthand, hadn't he? Regardless of the circumstances, come the end of the dream, that Konami had been the one who lost.

It certainly wasn't him, because ever since he'd first partnered up with the unrivaled King of New Domino City, there had been one undeniable fact about Konami Kommons. He never lost, and if it was up to him, he never would.

Because in the world of Synchro, losing was a sin.

And Konami _hated_ sinning.

END


	2. Part Two

_And then..._

 _A great mighty dragon burst from the earth._

"Move! Move! _Move!_ " Enzo shouted, pulling and heaving Konami along as the Vylon temple crumbled around them. Streaks of fire and lightning coursed through the sky, coloring the once blue palette a dark and sickly gray. Through it all, the world shook in terror, unable to do anything as the world's strongest monster stretched across the city.

"She's done it, thanks to you," Konami panted as Enzo helped him along. "She's gotten what she wants, and now she's going to kill us all."

"Yeah," Enzo agreed, "but it's not over yet. We still have a little bit of time-"

The temple shook once more as a piece of the great dragon's tail laid itself across the entrance, sending several walls of brick and dark metal tumbling down around the two men. Enzo quickened his pace, earning a pained groan from Konami as the extra speed forced more weight on his wounded leg.

"Hang on," Enzo told him, not slowing in the slightest. "We're almost to the Cradle-"

Konami frowned, "Cradle? You mean the Ark Cradle?" he asked. "What's that got to do with this?"

Enzo glanced at him as if he were stupid, and given the bloodloss, maybe he was.

Another tremor interrupted whatever response Enzo was about to give, and the two men hurried outside, taking care to avoid the falling debris best they could. Before long, they had reached the open area overlooking the city, and what they found was madness.

New Domino was burning.

Men and women in the streets screamed for their lives as searing flames engulfed them whole; children wailed for their parents, unable to lift the broken beams and heavy stones that had smashed many of the local buildings.

It was like something out of a nightmare.

And all because they'd given _Her_ what she wanted.

"You better have a good explanation for this," Konami told Enzo. "You and Z-One both."

"Yeah," Enzo agreed, watching the destruction with a forlorn gaze.

Unhooking himself from Konami's side, Enzo reached down and began fiddling with the watch strapped to his left wrist. After a few seconds, a loud boom rocked their eardrums, and a silver doorway appeared from the sky.

Konami's eyes narrowed at the sight of it, then turned his head to Enzo with a scowl.

"I see Z-One's been busy. Would've been nice to have that sort of tech earlier."

"Now's not the time, K," Enzo replied.

Konami thought otherwise, but the sharp pain from Enzo taking his right side once again kept him quiet.

As quickly as they could, the pair stepped through the doorway and onto the other side.

Immediately, the roars and screams of New Domino faded away, replaced by the empty white void that Konami had come to associate with the Ark Cradle.

"Z-One!" Enzo shouted as they stumbled in, "Z-One, I've got him! Let's get out of here!"

As if responding to the words, the white void began to shimmer to life, glowing with hidden leylines and intricate technology that Konami couldn't even begin to understand. White turned to red, then blue, then green. Various colors flashed before their eyes until finally...all was black.

"Where are we?" Konami asked, moving to grip his shoulder as Enzo released him.

"The End of Everything," an old and weary voice said from behind him. "At least, everything that I _know_."

Konami's eyes widened, and he spun on his one working heel to stare at the being who had continued to torment and harass him ever since that fateful night years ago.

"Z-One..." he greeted, staggering forward until he was mere inches from the older man's broken and half-android face. He glared.

"Hate me if you will," Z-One said, "but I will do what I must to ensure the best outcome."

"The best outcome?" Konami asked, feeling his rage fester once more. "The best outcome was lost a long time ago! In case you haven't noticed, _everyone's gone!_ The Signers vanished into the void, the Nordic Gods buried beneath mountains and mountains of rubble, and my team...Alice, Matthew, _Wisteria_... Tell me, Z-One, what best outcome are you looking for now?!"

"I had thought that this was the end..." Z-One murmured, maneuvering past Konami to gaze out into the black void himself, "that this moment, right here...was all that was left. But...it would seem that I may have been...mistaken."

"What?" Konami growled, slumping forward toward the man. "What are you saying, Z-One? What are you-?"

"Watch," Z-One said, and suddenly, the void wasn't so black anymore.

"What-What is this?" Enzo sputtered, "Where are we?"

Konami wanted to know as well, for as he gazed out into the space where the abyss once stood, all he saw was a city...

And it was far more broken than anything back in New Domino.

There were no flames, no crying children or wailing adults. Whatever battle had been fought there had ended long ago, and yet, somehow it felt like it was far from finished.

"What is this place?" Konami asked Z-One, "Where have you taken us?"

"I told you once," Z-One began, "of a shining future I witnessed. A miracle shown that day I thrust myself into the reactor...the "perfect world" Yusei had created... I saw a world at peace, I saw that same world be attacked by the corroded Vylon, and then...I cast myself back, in hopes of preventing such a tragedy."

"Yeah, I know all that already!" Konami grunted, "But that's not answering my question!"

"And yet, it does." Z-One replied, "You wished to know where I brought you. And I've told you before that the Ark Cradle is capable of both space _and_ time manipulation."

"Ah, no way!" Enzo shouted, evidently having understood what Z-One was trying to imply. "Then you're trying to say that _this_ is the world you saw back then?"

"Or what's left of it," Z-One stated. "In my years of research I had uncovered that the Vylon were corroded by a dark programming. Built by the Constellars, they were issued to _protect_ the universe, not destroy it. Under that assumption, I had always thought that they were the one and only threat, but based on _Her_ actions...I can't help but wonder if my theory was mistaken. And so...we shall confirm my newest suspicion here and now. Here...in a time I never experienced, having already sent myself back to prevent this tragedy in the first place."

"What?" asked Konami, "You mean you've never come this far before?"

Z-One was silent.

That was more than enough proof.

" _Damn it, Z-One!_ " he hissed, slamming his hand against Z-One's machine. "I thought you said you knew what you were talking about?! Now you're telling me you weren't ever a hundred percent sure about what you were doing?!"

His outburst was cut off by a sudden tremor that knocked him and Enzo flat on their backs. Konami grimaced at the pain it caused his leg, but pushed past it to look up and see just what had happened.

Once he did, he almost wished he hadn't.

Two white and gold machines roared past the Ark Cradle, ignoring it entirely as they surged down into the city. Though outfitted with far more advanced machinery than what he was used to, Konami immediately recognized them for what they were:

"Vylon," he hissed, clenching his fists with rage as he watched them descend into the streets. "And not just any, those are Sigma and Epsilon, two of the worst _manhunters_ you can find back in New Domino!"

"Now, we shall see..." Z-One muttered ominously, his lone eye narrowing as he watched.

Zooming in on the Ark Cradle's monitors, Konami, Z-One, and Enzo watched as the two Vylon vanished into a dark alley. Seconds later, the sound of gunfire echoed across the landscape, and the alley lit up with dangerous light.

"Ah! There's someone down there!" Konami shouted, turning to leave.

"Wait, Konami!" Z-One called, but it was to no avail. He was already gone, having used the Ark Cradle's Hyperspace Doorway to teleport himself into the action. Immediately, Z-One turned his gaze toward Enzo with a scowl. "Hurry up and bring him back! We don't yet know what effects his presence might have on the timeline!"

"Ah, yeah!" Enzo shouted, scurrying to his feet and chasing after him.

"Konami, you fool," Z-One muttered beneath his breath after Enzo had left, "Don't you understand? If my theory is correct then the one being shot is far more dangerous than any mere Vylon..."

Of course, Konami didn't hear Z-One's thoughts. He was already in the streets, already in the thick of it, headed toward the alley where the gunfire was still echoing-

-A body tackled him to the side, halting his pained sprint.

It was Enzo.

"Let go of me!" Konami hissed, attempting to push him off with his one working arm.

"No way," Enzo retorted. "I'm taking you back to the Ark! You're in no condition to be out here fighting-!"

"My condition doesn't matter as long as I can still draw cards! Now, _get off!_ " Konami hissed, using his good leg to kick Enzo deep in the gut. The boy coughed upon impact, the blow knocking the wind from him and sending him stumbling onto his back. Konami used the brief respite to crawl to his feet, then hissed at the sharp pain surging from the holes _She_ had put in him earlier.

He got to his feet, ignoring Enzo's frantic "Wait!" as he continued to drag himself toward the gunfire.

He could get there.

He _would_ get there.

This time, he could save them, whoever they were!

He never once thought that they could have saved themselves.

Even worse...

 _He didn't realize that he shouldn't have wanted them to._

A bolt of lightning burst from the alley, engulfing the surrounding buildings and sending the two Vylon flying out of the alley in a frantic retreat. Unfortunately for them, they were nowhere near fast enough. Before they were even anywhere near being out of range, a clawed purple hand reached out and cleaved them in two, prompting the war machines to burn and explode in a fiery crash.

Konami shielded himself with his Duel Disk as the two machines crashed down beside him, but it was no use. The force of the blasts alone were enough to knock him off his feet, and he was sent tumbling back beside Enzo in seconds.

Grunting, he lifted his head to gaze at the claw, only to find it attached to something far more deadly than he could have ever imagined.

It was a pitch-black dragon, twice the size of any Earthbound Immortal Konami had ever seen. Glowing green lines ran down across its body, and a pair of half-ringed wings stretched out across the sky, easily encompassing most of the city with its span alone.

"What...What are we looking at here...?" Enzo wondered aloud.

Konami had no idea, but as he gazed into the monster's glowng eyes, he couldn't help but feel that he was in even more danger than before.

-TFS-

Konami's eyes shot open and he gasped for air. The terrible dream was gone, replaced only by the gasps and cheers of his branch mates as he leaned up and out of the bed. He glanced around wildly, wondering just what was going on until he remembered just what he had been doing a little bit prior.

 _That's right,_ he thought, gripping his side in pain as he swung legs out and onto the cold floor. He was in the infirmary, away from the nightmarish dreams of desolate buildings and giant dragons. Even so, that dream... it had felt so _real_. Something about it didn't sit right with him-

"Ah, and there he is, the man of the hour!" a loud and boisterous voice called to him. "Tell me, how'd it feel getting beat down by Kaito like the rest of us?"

Konami grimaced, recognizing the voice as that of his branch mate and sometimes tagalong Enzo Takahashi. Shaking his head, he rose from the infirmary bed, only to be immediately beset upon by curious classmates and Enzo himself.

"Enough already," he whined, frowning as he was pulled in numerous directions. "Just because I lasted a few more turns against him than any of you did doesn't mean you've gotta start crowding around me like I'm the hottest thing around, you know?"

"Hah!" one of crowd members shouted, "He's got a point. He's a loser just like the rest of us, not that anyone'll say it to your face after _that_ kind of showing. Thunder End vs. Galaxy Eyes will gone down in Clover Branch as one of the best Duels yet!"

"Yeah..." Konami said with a sad smile, not that anyone noticed it with all the cheering going on.

"Alright, alright, that's enough!" Enzo said, slinging his arm around Konami's shoulder with a grin as he spoke. "We can have the party later, but right now my pal here needs it all quiet like, so why don't you all clear out for now? You don't wanna give our new Numbah Two a heart attack, do ya?"

There was some mumbling amongst the crowd, but eventually it seemed like his words had the desired effect. Slowly, the number of people in the infirmary began to dwindle, until finally...it was just the two of them alone.

"Sheesh, what a rowdy bunch," Enzo laughed, "If I knew they were gonna be this bad, then I wouldn't have invited them in the first place!"

"You say that like you're not a rowdy one yourself," Konami replied with a smile of his own.

Enzo pressed a hand over his heart like he'd been shot, then shook his head with a wry smile, "Oof! You know, that really hurts. Really, I go through all that trouble to clear the room and that's how you're gonna repay me? Man, and here I thought we were friends."

Konami threw one of the bed pillows at him, then began heading for the door.

"Hey!" Enzo shouted after him, fumbling with the object on his face before chasing after Konami. "Hold on, you just got up, where do you think you're going-"

"Isn't it obvious?" Konami asked with a grin, "I'm gonna challenge him again."

"Huh?" Enzo asked, blinking in surprise. "Wait, _what?!_ "

"You heard me," Konami said - his grin growing as his hand began to curl into a fist. "There's not that much time before the next match against Spade Branch...and I wanna be on top of the leaderboard when it hits. So I'm challenging him again, and this time... _I'll be the winner!_ "

It was only natural; after all...

Konami Klover never settled for second best.

END


	3. Part Three

_He gazed into the monster's glowing eyes..._

 _And felt that he was in even more danger than before._

 _"Fight me! Duel me! Fight until you fall! Until I am the last one standing! Until this world is destroyed! Fight me!"_

With a hideous snarl, the towering dragon loosed a stream of light from its jaws, engulfing the entire field of Konami's vision with a growing purple flame.

"Shit!" Enzo shouted, clamoring to his feet upon seeing the incoming assault. He quickly moved forward, stepping in front of Konami before activating his Duel Disk. "Gotta think fast! _Mirror Force!_ "

Activating the Trap just in time, Enzo watched as a shimmering forcefield materialized in front of him, protecting himself and Konami from the dragon's deadly assault. Under the weight of the attack, the Mirror Force shimmered and cracked, but ultimately held before flinging the spiral breath high into the sky.

It exploded several moments later, sending a shower of smoke and golden sparks down onto the streets.

 _"What's this?"_ a rumbling voice seemed to echo from the dragon's head. _"Someone managed to deflect my attack?"_

"Oh man," Enzo muttered, "Is it just me or is that dragon talking?!"

"Don't just stand there gawking at it," said Konami, having climbed back to his feet during the ordeal. "Let's get going before it attacks us again!"

"Don't have to tell me twice!" Enzo replied.

Moving quickly through smoke caused by the dragon's attack, Konami and Enzo made their way to a nearby alley before crouching behind a corner to watch. Their bodies tensed as the smoke cleared, knowing that despite having avoided the previous attack, they weren't entirely in the clear.

 _"Foolish humans, decided to play hide and seek, have you? No matter, I'll find you soon enough! After all, this entire world is our playground!"_ the dragon roared.

Its wings then bulged and split across the sky, lifting the behemoth off the ground. Heavy gusts of wind began to assault the surrounding area as the dragon flapped its wings once, twice, and then - it took off.

A sonic boom echoed through the landscape, shattering brick and glass alike as the dragon vanished high into the sky to search for new prey. Konami and Enzo stared at the scene in shock, scarcely able to comprehend just what they had seen.

"What - What's going on here?" Enzo sputtered.

"That's what _I'd_ like to know," a feminine voice called out from behind him.

Konami stilled, then slowly turned his head to regard the individual who had spoken.

It was a female, a girl; one who from the look of things appeared to be around their age. She had long, dual-colored hair that stretched down past her shoulders and was dressed in a gray camouflage bodysuit - probably used to help her hide amongst the city debris. Unfortunately, the large pink goggles on her face didn't do much for the look, though the firm line her mouth was set in implied that she meant serious business. At the very least, it was enough to make both Konami and Enzo pause.

"It's not often that I find someone who can escape from one of them unscathed. Even less one who has access to a card like Mirror Force! Tell me, where do you come from? You don't look like any of the survivors that _I_ know."

"We're..." Enzo began, trailing off as he tried to think of a suitable explanation.

"We're not from here," Konami answered in his stead. "Wherever 'here' is."

"Not from here? What's _that_ supposed to mean? Are you from one of the sites overseas?" the girl asked. It was then that she must have glanced a little closer at them, as she suddenly gasped and moved toward Konami quickly. "Hey, those wounds! Don't tell me that you got hit by that blast after all?!"

"No, these...these are from something else," Konami grimaced, turning his gaze away from the girl to glare at the gaping holes in his body. "...and they aren't important."

"That's nonsense! If you run around looking like that, you won't last a day," the girl replied while looking at his leg. "Not that I expect you can run at all, with a wound like that..."

"I can move just fine," Konami spat. "Not that it's any of your business."

"Of course it is," the girl replied, surprising him. She took another step forward, "You're a survivor stuck out here just like the rest of us, which means that it's our duty to help one another. Come on," she continued hurriedly, "I can take you back to my hideout. It's not far from here, and I'm certain that the old aid kits we have stashed around will be able to help patch you up!"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Enzo said, speaking for Konami. "And while we're at it, you can explain to us what that giant dragon thing was."

The girl frowned at the mention of the beast, then glanced at the two boys. Konami wondered what sort of expression she was making beneath those goggles of hers.

"Wow," he heard her whisper instead. "You two _must_ not be from around here if you don't even know about _that_."

But as she began to explain, Konami found that he couldn't hear a single word she said. As a matter of fact, he couldn't hear anything at all. It was as if someone had cut open his ears and stuffed them full of foam. A sharp pain rang through his gut, and then - he collapsed.

"Konami?" Enzo asked, glancing back to his friend with a shocked expression, but Konami didn't hear him. He heard nothing more...as he faded into the sweet embrace of the void.

"Konami? Konami!? KONAMIIIIIIIII!"

 _ **-TFS-**_

Konami's eyes shot open and he gasped for air. The terrible dream was gone, replaced only by the dull throb of the loud boat horn announcing their near arrival. Groaning, he pulled himself out of bed, content to leave his cabin and watch as the ship pulled into Academia Harbor.

Many other passengers as he stepped out into the hall, all apparently following the exact same train of thought that he was. It was to be expected, he supposed; the ship he'd boarded _was_ built for the sole purpose of transporting new students from the mainland to their new home, after all. With a weary sigh, Konami scratched an itch on the back of his neck before following the crowd out into the open deck.

A soft breeze and a clear sky awaited him, along with the imposing image of the one thing he wanted to see the most: Duel Academia, in all of its fine glory!

"Huh," he heard someone grumbled from the crowd, "Looks darker than I thought it would be."

As Konami locked his gaze upon the rapidly approaching island, he found his thoughts to be in tune with the speaking individual. The island, and what few buildings Konami could make out from the ship, looked nothing like it did in the pamphlet. Where were the lush forests, the colorful buildings, the Golden Egg Sandwiches?! This was - This was -

"This is an outrage!" someone snapped loudly, drawing Konami's attention away from Academy Island along with several other students in the crowd. "I thought I ordered the _Elite_ Cruise Travel Plan? What am I doing here with these commoners?!"

A closer look revealed the shout to have come from a dark-haired Obelisk Force student - one whose spiky hair struck sharper than any bolt of lightning itself.

" _I'm Chazz Princeton and I demand a refund!_ "

"I'm-I'm very sorry sir," one of the ship's staff apologized, "but I'm not sure what you're talking about! Academia Cruises has _never_ carried an _Elite Travel Plan_ , so I'm afraid you must be mistaken..."

"Don't you try to give me the run-around," the self-proclaimed Chazz spat back. "I have a receipt right here! It says it comes with free drinks, free food, and school sightings free of commoners and Neanderthals..." he pointed to the crowd, "like _them_!"

There was some murmuring amongst the crowd then, and Konami had the feeling that the Princeton fellow wasn't exactly putting himself in anyone's good graces. Fortunately, it seemed as though the commotion had finally drawn enough traction to garner the attention of the school's upperclassman. A small group of them had approached the rest of the crowd, following the lead of a tall, serious-looking boy whose face was recognizable anywhere.

"Oh my god,"

"Is it really him?"

" _Zane..."_

"What's going on here?" the world-famous Zane Truesdale asked the crowd, his stern expression and solemn gaze striking fear into the hearts of men...and making some of the female students swoon.

"Looks like it's that Princeton kid again," another upperclassman noted, earning a sigh from Zane.

"Alright, I'll handle it. The rest of you can head on back," Zane ran his gaze across the crowd. "That goes for you lot too. We'll be landing soon. Instead of dawdling out here, you should be making sure you're ready to go. Of course, if you want to fall behind that's your own business. Just don't blame me when the Professors come calling for your head."

With those words, he stalked off toward Princeton and the ship staff, leaving the crowd in awe once more. Amongst them, Konami stared at Zane's back with a solemn expression. One day, he would surpass that fellow...and everyone would look at him the same way.

Because Konami Kyber was nothing if not ambitious, and one day...

 _He'd be the best there ever was._

-END-


	4. Part Four

_Konami didn't hear him._

 _He heard nothing more, as he faded into the sweet embrace of the void..._

When Konami awoke, he found that the pain in his leg and shoulder had been reduced to a dull throb. More than that, it seemed that his surroundings had changed once again. The ruined streets were nowhere to be seen. Instead, he saw nothing but dull, concrete walls...and the familiar yet exhausting face of Enzo.

"Welcome back to the world of the living, princess," Enzo drawled. "Have a good nap?"

Konami didn't dare justify the words with a response. Instead, he began to swing his legs out from beneath the covers, only to pause and await the pain - none came.

"Relax," Enzo told him, evidently understanding what caused Konami's hesitation. "Despite what it looks like, this place actually has some high-grade healing equipment. Combined with Z-One's expertise, we pretty much managed to patch up your injuries."

"So soon?" Konami asked, his voice cracking as he used it. He paused, bringing a hand to his mouth before attempting a cough. It came out dry and hoarse, and Enzo sighed at the attempt.

"Soon is...a bit of an understatement." Enzo replied with a wince, "You've...been out for a little over two weeks now. As always, you Duel Spirits show an extraordinary rate of recovery."

"Not enough, apparently," Konami grunted, wincing as he began to wind the arm that no longer held a gaping pierce wound. "I couldn't save them, Enzo. The Signers, our team...she killed them all. Even Alice and the twins...! And I couldn't stop it. Even after everything we've done to prepare, I still wasn't strong enough! I still couldn't stop them - stop _Her_ \- from taking what she wanted!"

"I know, Konami. I know..."

"Do you now?" Konami asked wearily, "You know, I really wonder about that...because from where I'm sitting, it seems like you're part of the reason things went the way they did. While we were out there _fighting for our lives_ , you were hiding from it all, doing god knows what until you showed up at the last minute, just so you could give _Her_ what she wanted and let her destroy any hope we had left!"

"No, Konami... I had to-"

"-Did you know that I was there when she died?" Konami interrupted, "Wisteria, I mean. She took a hit for me; she really shouldn't have, but...well, saying that never stopped her from doing whatever she wanted before, has it?"

"Konami, I-"

"I held her, as it happened," Konami continued. "I got to watch as the light faded from her eyes, and as did, do you want to know what she told me? She told me she loved me. Yeah," Konami chuckled to himself, but it came out hollow and cold. "She loved me, she said. As if that saying that when she died would make losing her any easier. But you want to know what the real kicker is, E?" Konami asked. "It's that she wasn't even the worst one. No, _no_ , that honor goes to Luna. Luna, and her brother Leo, and Alice...they were just children, children who were dragged into a fight they weren't ready for and shouldn't have been in in the first place." Konami laid his hands in his lap, then began wringing them together to stave off the guilt.

"Just what am I supposed to tell their parents?" He asked, "Are their parents even alive, after everything that's happened?"

Enzo shook his head, "I-I don't-"

"You don't what?" Konami asked. "You don't _know_? No, no, I don't suppose you would. Not when spent the war cooped up in the Ark Cradle, sneaking around with Z-One!"

"Okay, that's enough!" Enzo snapped, rising out of his chair and putting his proverbial _\- and literal -_ foot down. "I get it. I do, really, you lost people. But they were my friends too, and I'm not just going to stand here and take it when you're acting like I wouldn't have saved them if I could have!"

" _YOU HAD THE CHANCE!"_ Konami boomed, rising to his own feet to meet Enzo's challenge. " _MATHEW, CROW, CARLY, JACK! SO MANY PEOPLE, SO MANY CHANCES, AND NOT ONCE DID YOU CRAWL OUT OF THAT HOLE TO HELP! YOU SAT IN THERE, WATCHING,_ _ **WAITING**_ _, DOING_ _ **NOTHING**_ _WHILE YOUR FRIENDS FOUGHT, AND BLED, AND DIED!_ "

" _My_ friends? I'll give you Mathew, and Alice, and even Wisteria," Enzo muttered, "but the rest of them...well, they're _your_ friends, not mine."

"And that makes them any less worth saving?" Konami growled.

"No, but while I might not have been there, _you_ were," Enzo retorted. "So why didn't _you_ save them? Were you just not capable...or did Z-One miss some of that Vylon Programming when he went rummaging through that head of yours?"

Konami saw red.

He charged forward and swung his right fist in a vicious uppercut.

It crashed into Enzo's chin, knocking him upward and sending him stumbling backward. Enzo didn't hesitate to respond, quickly returning fire with a bellowing roar as he threw a left jab toward Konami's face. Konami reached out and caught it with the palm of his right hand, then turned and smashed his left elbow across Enzo's face. Enzo staggered to his left, quickly losing his balance and tumbling down onto his side.

Konami didn't hesitate.

Taking advantage of that split second of weakness, he dropped down on top of Enzo and began pounding away at the boy's face with his fists. One hit, two hits, three... Konami didn't know how long it would take for Enzo to yield, but if he were honest, he really didn't care. He was content to keep pounding for eternity if he needed, until the person beneath him had been reduced to a bloody pile of goo-

Enzo's hands suddenly shot out, catching Konami's unyielding fists before yanking them forward. Konami yelped with surprise as his body fell forward, and at that moment, Enzo drove his forehead into his.

A sickening crack filled the air, and Konami wailed in pain as his body fell backward, away from Enzo. His hands reached for his head, gripping it tightly as a throbbing pain spiked at the front of his skull.

Enzo had rolled to his side and let loose a pained grunt of his own, not having expected the blowback such an attack would have. Still, he was better off than Konami, which gave him the opening he needed to turn the tables. While Konami was thrashing in pain on the floor, Enzo slowly crawled on top of him, before pinning Konami's chest down with his knee. He then began to do what Konami had, unleashing a flurry of blows aimed for Konami's face.

Konami was defenseless against the assault. His head rocked back and forth as Enzo pounded away at him, each punch growing bloodier and bloodier as Konami's face began to cut and swell. Konami couldn't take much more. All he knew was that he wanted to end, he _needed_ it to end, and so...

He ended it.

Enzo's face scrunched in pain as a sharp pain began to swell from his groin. He cast his gaze downward, only to find a fist buried in his precious package.

"Low blow," he muttered, toppling off of Konami with a wheeze as his hands fell down to cradle his jewels. "Low blow..."

Konami said nothing, content to bask in the sounds of Enzo's exhausted wheezes. Still, he made no move to further assault the boy, and Enzo - it seemed - had had enough as well.

So there they were, two displaced relics of a time long past, laying next to each other in a pile of their own blood, sweat, and tears. How useless they were, how foolish. As if their fight really meant anything, when so much had already happened.

Slowly, Konami adjusted himself so that his back was against the wall. Enzo, it seemed, had already done the same, positioning himself so that he was to Konami's side. The two glared at each other for a moment longer, then averted their eyes.

"Sorry," Konami mumbled first, "for hitting you. I shouldn't have lost my cool."

"I shouldn't have said what I did," Enzo replied. "But Konami, you have to know that-" he winced in pain, "...you have to know that even if what I said is true, it doesn't change the fact that you're _my_ friend, and I'd do anything to help you."

"I know you would," Konami said, and he did. He had seen as much, back when Enzo gave _Her_ the keys to victory...all so that he might live.

"It was the only way," Enzo explained, "and we both know that with everyone else gone, you're our only hope. I couldn't-I couldn't let her snuff you out too. No matter what, I needed to make sure _you_ got out of there in one piece."

"Well," Konami huffed, "you succeeded. I'm alive...but that doesn't answer the question...as to why we're _here_ when we're still needed...back _there_."

"We needed information," Enzo said. "Z-One always said that the Vylon were the end of everything, and he's not wrong, but...even he's capable of missing things."

"He never knew about their leader," Konami noted.

Enzo nodded, "So he took us forward in time, to reexamine everything he thought he knew about the Vylon and their creator. Of course, it's all changed since his time. The Vylon attacked earlier, and so, events naturally unfolded differently to how they would the first time. The core aspects remain, however." His eyes narrowed, " _Humanity is pushed to extinction._ "

"Right," Konami nodded.

"Wrong, actually." Enzo pointed out. Konami glanced at him in surprise. "Think about it, we're hundreds, possibly thousands of years into the future. If Humanity was _really_ pushed to extinction back then, then who do you think that girl was we were talking to earlier? How would we have the necessary medical supplies to patch you up?"

Enzo shook his head for a moment to gather his thoughts, then continued.

"We always thought that their endgame was eliminating _every_ human off the face of the earth, but we were wrong. In the end, at _every_ end, there's more than none. It's one, Konami. She always leaves one."

"One?" Konami asked in confusion, "But why?"

"To understand that," a robotic voice echoed from the doorway, "you must first understand just who you're dealing with."

Konami and Enzo both looked up to find a familiar machine hovering above them.

"Boys," Z-One said, his eye gleaming dangerously in the dark, "if you're done with your horseplaying, we have much to discuss."

-TFS-

"Her name is E'Rah," Z-One explained as Konami set himself on the edge of his bed, "the Goddess of Despair. Every billion years, she emerges from the abyss to restart the cycle of destruction and end the age of man. To do so, she sends emissaries - sleeper agents - to watch our civilization flourish. When it does, those emissaries send word back to her, and the harvesting of our planet begins. In our time, those emissaries are the Vylon."

"But I thought the Constellar built the Vylon?" Konami asked, "Isn't that what you told me the first time we met?"

"Yes," Z-One confirmed, "and I stand by that statement. The Vylon were indeed built by the Constellar, with the intent to watch over and protect this world. But they were corrupted, twisted into the very thing they were meant to destroy by beings whose nature transcended the physical plane."

"Right, you told me that as well." Konami noted, "A 'worm' threat, you had called it."

"Indeed," Z-One replied, pleased by Konami's good memory. "What I told you then was based on knowledge gathered from ancient ruins and temples...but recent revelations have expanded my knowledge. These 'worms' were not just any threat. They were the Vylon's predecessors; beings of a previous earth who were made to serve E'Rah's means."

"What?" Konami asked, tilting his head in confusion. "You're saying that E'Rah didn't always use the Vylon as her means of attack?"

"That's precisely it," Enzo told him. "It seems that each time she appears, E'Rah takes a part of that current world with her to use as her method of genocide the next time she decides to show up."

"It is my belief that the Worm were the greatest protectors of their world," Z-One continued, "and after their time had passed, it was the Vylon who replaced them as the universe's greatest defense. As for our time, well..."

"The Signers," Konami said, "or at the very least, their signature monsters. Which reminds me, didn't the Ultimate God card you give her look suspiciously like a certain other _Dragon Deity_ we know?"

"The Crimson Dragon was indeed bound to that card," Z-One stated. "Twisted by E'Rah's own godlike power, it was transformed into a being of immeasurable power; a Phantasmal Lord of Destruction...known throughout _this_ world as Ultimitl Bishbaalkin."

"The other dragons are still around too, in case you were wondering," Enzo felt to add. "Of course, they don't exactly look like they used to. You saw it as well, didn't you? That shaded specter that tried to destroy us a week ago...seems like it was the new and improved version of a certain 'Black Rose Dragon' we all know and love."

"But what's this have to do with what you were telling me earlier?" Konami asked, "That comment about E'Rah leaving 'One' behind, or whatever?"

"It is the reason humanity has continued to persist throughout the generations," Z-One stated. "Each time she attacks, she leaves the last survivor with a seed capable of cultivating new life upon the ruins of the old," Z-One explained. "When the Worm world was destroyed, it was a Constellar who remained, issuing in an era of Vylon and Meklords. This cycle was repeated when the Constellar's time came, at that point, humanity gave rise to the age of Shadow Games and Duel Monsters. And now, when it was time for our age to end, the Astral Plane flourished," he continued while using his robotic hand to gesture across the room, "A being of light was granted the power to remake the world however he pleased, and the age of Xyz monsters was born."

"But why?" Konami asked, "If E'Rah comes with the intent to destroy the planet, then what's the point of letting it be reborn? Does she get off on watching people suffer or something?"

"You'd be surprised how close you are with that statement," Enzo grunted.

"It's Hope," Z-One explained. "She feasts on it, devouring it to stave off her insatiable lust for death and despair. She leaves a survivor with the means to rebuild, but note that each time, she returns, destroying the created world and beginning the cycle anew."

"She calls herself the Goddess of Despair for a reason," Enzo added. "Seems only fitting that she'd like to watch her victims squirm before going in for the kill."

"You both seem to know an awful lot about her all of a sudden," Konami noted, "How did you figure all of this out?"

"What, you don't think Z-One and I did nothing while you were out cold the past few weeks, did you?" Enzo asked. "We've been busy grilling the current survivors on everything they know, and beyond that, well...let's just say that it looks like the Ark Cradle can look back a lot farther than anyone expected."

"So...what?" Konami inquired, "You...glimpsed back in time and watched her destroy the earth a few hundred times?"

"Only thrice," Z-One muttered, "and even then the data was broken and fragmented. Only by combining what was seen with the information the others have found in the ruins have we come up with this much."

"Was this all you found out?" Konami asked. "I mean, don't get me wrong, the backstory is nice and all, but it doesn't exactly tell us how to defeat her."

"But here's the thing, maybe it does." Enzo said, "Think about it, with this information, we know _exactly_ what E'Rah will be after! If we can go back to say, the WRGP, all we have to do is keep the Signers out of the picture, and she won't be able to harness their dragon's power to create Bishbaalkin in the first place?"

"Useless," Konami disagreed. "In case you've forgotten, E'Rah was already more than enough of a threat before she took out the Signers and stole their cards! Even if we did what you're recommending, there's no guarantee that any of us will be able to take her down for good."

"Well," sighed Enzo, "if you have any better ideas, I'm willing to hear them."

Konami was silent; he didn't know what to say. Despite all the new information about her, he still didn't see how they could beat E'Rah. Her Deck was just too strong; capable of completely decimating a Duelist's forces in an instant! It just seemed...

Hopeless.

The door to the room slammed open, and the dual-color-haired girl from before ran in with a frightened look on her face.

"We've got trouble!"

"Luna?" Enzo asked, prompting Konami to snap his head between them, "What's going on?"

"It's the dragons!" the girl, _Luna_ \- it seemed, shouted hurriedly. "They're coming here!"

She led them out into a larger room, and Konami once again found himself surprised by the advanced tech stashed in such a worn-down place. All kinds of scanners and flat screens lined the walls, displaying numerous views of the building's surroundings. On the largest screen plastered in the center, five hulking shadows could be seen hulking forward, led by a towering red figure whose tail seemed to have no end. Konami's eyes widened as he gazed upon it, recognizing it as the same beast whose mere presence was destroying New Domino as they left.

"Bishbaalkin..." Enzo murmured, staring at the dragon god in shock.

"Enzo," Konami breathed, watching as the shadow dragons stopped moving just outside the building. Their jaws began to open, and burning light began to trickle out from within, "Enzo, where's my Duel Disk?"

"It's..." Enzo shook his head, still unable to believe what was happening, "It's..."

Konami grabbed him, "Enzo, _WHERE'S MY DUEL DISK?!_ "

Too late.

Streams of light and fire burst out from within the five dragons' mouths, and a terrible explosion rocked the facility. Konami screamed as his body flung through the air by the force of the blow, sending him tumbling and rolling across the now burning floor. Debris crumbled around him, encasing his form and as he lifted his head to gaze out toward the attackers, he locked eyes with the last person he wanted to see.

She was a towering woman; slender and busty with long, dark hair that fell far past her ankles. A pair of sharp blonde bangs hung down by her chest, accompanied by a pair of feather-like accessories that stretched out from the sides of her face. A dark and haunting dress covered much of her body, though it itself was somewhat concealed by the armored cape draped across her shoulders.

Konami grit his teeth at the sight of her. There was no way he could mistake that appearance. The giant woman was someone he would never forget; for she was the same one who had destroyed his life in what felt like - for him, at least - a few moments ago.

"E'Rah..."

"Rejoice, survivors..." the woman whispered, gliding forth into the building after descending from Bishbaalkin's chest, "for the end is near."

-END-


	5. Part Five

_Rejoice, survivors..._

 _For the end is near._

"How...?" not-Luna gasped, staggering out from a pile of debris as she spoke. Her body was covered in scratches, and her right arm dangled uselessly by her side. "How did you find us...?"

E'Rah scoffed at the question. Gliding across the burning space, she cast her gaze down at the long-haired girl with a frown. "Foolish child," she whispered, tilting Luna's face up toward her own. "Did you really think you were _hidden_ in this space? I could always sense you. It's the rot, the _stench_ that covers you and your ilk as you struggle against the inevitable. It was your Hope that led me here, and now...I shall watch as it fades from your cold green eyes."

"W-What?"

E'Rah smiled nastily, then snapped her hand to the side, spinning Luna's head around and breaking her neck. The girl's fresh corpse fell to its knees lifelessly, then collapsed entirely as a sharp yell rang out across the room.

It was Enzo.

"No!" he roared, throwing a Spell onto his Duel Disk that made several swords of light materialize from thin air. As if driven by his thoughts alone, the three glowing blades flew through the air toward E'Rah. The woman smiled at the attempt, then casually raised a claw-like finger. Strands of dark energy immediately shot up from the ground, catching the swords mid-swing and flinging one of them back in Enzo's direction.

Enzo let out a sharp gasp and rolled to the side, allowing the sword to pierce self into the wall behind him. Knowing he had no time, he then quickly slapped another card onto his Duel Disk.

"Raigeki!" he explained, "I hope you weren't too attached to them, 'cause with this, those dragons of yours are goners!"

E'Rah smiled smugly at Enzo's declaration. "Really?" she asked, snapping her gaze up toward one of her deadly creatures. "Well, Stardust? Do _you_ have anything to say about this?"

From his place in the debris, Konami sucked in a breath. _'Stardust?'_ he thought, feeling his hands clench, _'Then it's true! She really did corrupt the Signer Dragons from our time!_ '

The once shining dragon screamed, its black and corroded body growing as it spread its wings across the land, covering itself and the rest of E'Rah's monsters whole. Seconds later, a bright flash lit the sky, and the familiar rumbling of Raigeki's strike soon followed. As the sky swiftly returned to its darkened state, Konami's eyes readjusted, allowing him to see that - as expected - not a single of E'Rah's monsters had been bested.

"Tsk...! Damn it!" Enzo hissed, reaching for another card. "In that case-!"

" _Attack._ "

A sickening sound filled the air, and Enzo looked down to see that he had been run through by the two-pronged tail of what used to be Ancient Fairy Dragon. It lifted him off the floor, allowing his lifeblood to spill across the burning debris before tossing him haphazardly to the side, where he crashed face-first before Konami.

He didn't move.

"Enzo?" Konami asked, "Enzo!"

"He's dead." E'Rah explained as she stepped forward before crouching down to get a look at Konami's grief-stricken face, "And soon," she continued, reaching her claw-like hand toward him, "you will be too."

A ray of light suddenly blinded Konami and then...

E'Rah screamed.

Her left hand, the one that had been mere inches away from ending Konami's life...had been completely blown away. Smoke and shadow fell from the gaping half-arm that remained, along with a sticky green fluid that Konami could only guess served as her blood. E'Rah took several staggering steps backward while hissing in pain, and her cape flung forward of its own accord to wrap and hide the disaster away. As it did, E'Rah turned on her heel and glared at the source of her pain:

Z-One.

A futuristic laser sat smoking from the side of his hoverchair, no doubt the weapon used to inflict the wound.

"You'll pay for that, old man," she hissed, and Konami something twinkled in Z-one's eye.

"Perhaps," he agreed, "but not today."

His laser began to shine once more, but E'Rah was faster. With an angry whip of her hand, the fist of the once Red Dragon Archfiend fell, crushing Z-one's machine - and his body - in an instant.

" _NOOOOOO!_ " Konami wailed.

 _"Yes!_ " E'Rah screeched, wrapping her remaining arm around her waist and she reared back, elated. " _This_ is what I wanted, _this_ is what I was seeking! _Keh heh heh... Ah ha ha!_ I have snuffed out the light of hope...Shadow has become truth! Once more, this world shall vanish into oblivion..."

Konami grimaced, squirming out of the debris as quickly as he could so that he could attack her, thrash her, _put her in her place_!

After struggling to remove his foot, he finally freed himself, but as he made to attempt a charge, E'Rah turned back to him, eyes wide and ready as if she had expected such a thing. Black tendrils swept up from the ground once more, grabbing Konami around the ankle and hurling him away from the woman.

His back hit the wall with a loud thud, and he hadn't even fallen to the ground before E'Rah was upon him, pinning him to the wall with the same clawed hand Konami could have _sworn_ Z-One had blasted off just seconds ago.

"Foolish child," E'Rah whispered, either not noticing or caring about the horror Konami felt upon realizing she could regenerate too. "You would continue to struggle senselessly against me, even after losing everything? Fufu, you mortals never cease to amaze me with your stupidity - no, _wait_..."

Pausing, E'Rah cast her gaze across Konami. Her eyes roamed across his face dangerous, studying, searching for something she couldn't quite place-

"You..." she whispered finally, "... _I_ _know you_."

"...You'd damn well better," Konami grunted, "what with how you killed my friends and all."

E'Rah scoffed, "Please. Many mortals have died by my hand. The faces of the fallen are meaningless to me, mere appetizers for the feast of despair I desire. No, there's more to you than that. Much more, indeed."

She turned her gaze from him to study the other fallen individuals; specifically the bleeding corpse of Enzo and the smashed remnants of Z-One's machine. Slowly but surely, her eyes began to widen...and then, she understood.

"Ah," she breathed, exhaling softly as she came to remember. "That's right, the fools from New Domino...the ones who escaped my wrath." She turned her gaze back to Konami, "Tell me, _child_ , how is it that an old relic of a world long past continues to exist?"

"Aren't gods supposed to be omniscient?" Konami spat. "Why don't you figure it out?"

"I could," E'Rah admitted, scratching down the side of Konami's face with a single sharp fingernail. "If I truly so desired, I could rip this mind of yours asunder, have you spill out all your dirty little secrets and desires... But look around you. This world has already embraced despair. Its people have been bested, torn apart by the very monsters of those you once called friends. So you see, my child? There is no need for me to do anything, for I have already won. Just as I won last time, just as I shall continue to win...over, and over, and over...until time itself ceases to exist."

Konami struggled against her, but it was no use. Her hand alone took up his entire body, meaning any amount of force he pulled out was easily matched tenfold.

"But do not fear, little Vylon, for your time in my story has come to an end."

"What?" Konami asked, only to feel his frown deepen as E'Rah smiled.

"Do you still not understand? The sun sets on another age," E'Rah explained. "Soon, this world will be naught but dust and shadow, a grave for those who came before. The time has come for the cycle to be reborn anew, and I do believe...that the choice falls to you."

Konami scowled; if E'Rah thought that he'd do anything that had even the slightest chance of pleasing her, then she had another thing coming-

"You must be insane if you think I'd ever help you-" Konami growled.

"You want to see them again, don't you?" E'Rah asked. "The friends you've left behind? The family you've come to love? I can't imagine it was easy...watching them die. We can bring them back, my child. All you have to do...is ask."

She lifted her other hand then, revealing within its palm a small seed that shone with the light of a new universe. Konami stared at it, but though he tried to fight against its pull, it was not long until he felt himself start to drift away...

"You have experienced many worlds, I'd imagine," E'Rah spoke as she watched his eyes waver. "You could do much with this power, boy. What is it that you seek? Is it kingship, friendship above all else...? Even fame is not out of the question. The world is your oyster...if you but partake of my fruit.

And as Konami gazed into the seed of life, he saw. He saw and knew that E'Rah spoke the truth. He saw the world of Kommons, where he ruled the city as one of two Kings. He saw the land of Klover; watched as each and every day was filled with exciting spectacles and Duels beyond belief. He saw the space of Kyber too, but even as he stared into such exciting and irresistible futures - one fact remained impossibly clear to him:

Those futures were doomed.

For no matter what he chose, E'Rah would return. Maybe not in his lifetime, maybe not in two, but one day she would come - and the cycle would begin anew.

As that cold, hard, realization sunk in, whatever spell the seed had cast on him broke. The light returned to his eyes, and with a defiant gaze, he raised his head.

"No," he said softly.

"No?" E'Rah asked in surprise. "Someone offers you the universe, and you say _No_?"

"Yeah," Konami affirmed with a scowl, "because the world I want to live in...doesn't exist in that seed of yours."

"Oh? And why's that?"

"Because the only world I want to be a part of..." Konami explained, using his free hand to grab the pommel glowing in the corner of his eye, "...is one where _you_ don't exist!"

And with a rage-filled cry, Konami ripped the Sword of Revealing Light out of the wall and swung it upward to free himself. E'Rah's eyes widened as the blade struck true, and for the second time that night, an appendage was severed from her body.

Screeching in pain, E'Rah backpedaled away from Konami, allowing the boy to fall to the ground and gather himself. The Sword or Revealing Light continued to shine brightly in his hands, its time limit nowhere near being exhausted.

"You fool!" E'Rah screeched, glaring at him as a sliver of shadow began to reshape her hand, "I offered you everything...and you turned it down for petty revenge?!"

"No, not for revenge!" Konami shouted, despite knowing that he desired it greatly. "I do this for the future generations who come after me! So long as you continue to exist, then this world will never know peace! No matter what shape it takes, or how long it lasts, you will always return to destroy it, unless...I put you down here and now!"

"Try it!" E'Rah snarled, lifting her hands to call forth an army of shadow tendrils to bar his path. "I've killed countless civilizations, and not one of them has been able to stop me! I won't be bested by a single Vylon from an age long past! Especially not one who was once sworn to _me_!"

Konami grit his teeth and tightened his grip on the glowing blade. Briefly, he cast his gaze over Enzo's lifeless body; the sight of it only strengthened his determination.

"Here I come, E'Rah!" he shouted, and without another word, he took off.

Countless tendrils shot forth at the Goddess' command, and Konami bared his teeth at them all, hacking and slashing his way through them as if they were nothing but papier-mache. With each slice, he felt himself grow braver. With each slash, he felt himself grow stronger.

Something deep inside of him must have awoken; for a moment, he wondered if Enzo had been right about Z-One missing some of that programming. After all, how else could you explain him knowing how to use a sword to such an extent? He had never used one in a real fight, but already he could feel himself improving, growing more and more efficient with every tendril he cut down. Perhaps it was the fact that it wasn't a real sword, but rather one borne from the same game his species originated.

It didn't matter.

None of it did.

All that mattered was taking E'Rah down, no matter what!

Konami roared as he cut clean through another tendril, then pushed forward to grab a second Sword of Revealing Light from the burning floor. Spinning on his heel as a jagged tendril attempting to pierce straight through him, Konami launched the second blade forward past it, directly toward E'Rah's face. The woman's eyes widened, but smashed her right hand into a fist at the last second, prompting a pillar of spiked tendrils to fly up and shatter the approaching sword. Konami grunted at his failure, but charged ahead nonetheless, taking advantage of E'Rah's distracted gaze to pave a path forward!

"Die monster!" he yelled, eyes wide and rabid as he leaped forward to inflict a fatal blow, "You don't belong in this world!"

E'Rah's lips twisted into a scowl, and she swung her closed fist to the side rapidly. As if directed by the act, the corrupted Ancient Fairy Dragon flicked its tail in Konami's direction, knocking him from the air toward another wall. Konami called out as his back hit concrete once again and he collapsed to the ground with a huff. Still, he did not yield. Keeping hold of the flickering sword, he crawled back to his feet, ready to try again.

"Miserable little cretin," E'Rah hissed. " _Fine!_ I shall grant you the death you so desire!" She lifted her hands in front of her chest, channeling dark energy as the dragons above her honed attacks of their own. Knowing what was coming, Konami glanced just before him, where Enzo's corpse still laid. Grimacing, he rushed forward, intent on reaching him before their attacks could land-!

 _"FIRE!"_ E'Rah screamed, and five rays of light rained down upon the building.

An explosion rocked the already collapsed facility, sending even more debris flying through the sky. Smoke and fire filled the air, and yet...

Konami emerged unscathed.

"What?!" E'Rah barked.

"You can thank Waboku," Konami said, revealing a shimmering green device attached to his right arm - A Duel Disk - _Enzo's_ Duel Disk...and a certain damage-preventing Trap had been placed face-up upon it.

"Do not mock me, _Duelist_ ," E'Rah spat out the word as if it was something foul. "One mere Trap card will not be enough to save you from me!"

"Possibly," Konami agreed, "but maybe a _monster_ can! Come forth... _EXODIUS!_ "

A shining pentagram appeared beneath him as he roared out his ace's name, and a bronze behemoth of Egyptian legend rose up to confront the forces of despair.

"Tsk...!" E'Rah grimaced. She glared at her own monsters nastily, "Well?" she asked them, "What are you waiting for? Destroy them!"

The corrupted Signer Dragons roared, and the fight for the fate of the universe began.

-END-


	6. Part Six

_The corrupted Signer Dragons roared..._

 _and a bronze behemoth of Egyptian Legend rose to confront them..._

Summoning Exodius had been a mistake, Konami realized as his bronze behemoth was knocked to its knees by the rear leg of the once Stardust Dragon. Exodius snarled in outrage at being treated like a mere obstacle, but as the hulking giant raised a fist to bat Stardust away, the dark Ancient Fairy Dragon wrapped its tail around him, binding his appendages in place.

Konami grimaced. Exodius was strong, that much was undeniable, but he had been stupid to expect that he could take on all five Signer Dragons immediately upon being summoned, especially when they themselves had been powered up dramatically by E'Rah's dark power!

Exodius' power as a god grew the longer he was out on the field, but that was just it - next to no time had passed, which meant that at that moment, Exodius was practically as weak as a Kuriboh!

That fact was reinforced as the Red Dragon Archfiend swooped down from the sky, clobbering Exodius across the face with its Absolute Powerforce. The giant Egyptian roared upon being punched, only to find himself clobbered once more by the Red Dragon Archfiend's other fist. Stardust then reappeared from behind, releasing a ray of black energy that scorched Exodius' back. The dark Ancient Fairy Dragon hissed as well upon being hit by association, then quickly untangled itself from Exodius in attempt to soothe its own pain.

A mistake, it seemed.

Exodius' hand quickly reached out, grabbing the Ancient Fairy by the throat and smashing it into the ground. He then quickly raised his other fist, bringing it down upon the dragon's head with a resounding crash that sent earthquakes shivering throughout the region. Waves of smoke and debris flew past Konami as he watched the scene, and he heard E'Rah snarl from above where Bishbaalkin awaited.

From her anger, along with the sudden piercing wail of what looked to be an organic version of Leo's Power Tool - _Lifestream Dragon_ , Konami remembered later - he could immediately tell:

Ancient Fairy Dragon was no more.

No doubt angered by the loss of her servant, E'Rah's hand raised, prompting the other dragons to renew their assault tenfold. Konami's eyes flashed as they did, realizing that now, while Exodius had her distracted, he could strike!

Adjusting his grip on the flickering sword still in his hand, Konami launched it forward toward E'Rah like a javelin. Its aim was perfectly poised for the heart, and her distracted gaze didn't even see it approaching!

 _This is it!_ Konami thought with wide eyes as he watched the blade soar through the air. _I've got her!_

But just as victory was finally within reach, the Swords of Revealing Light's time limit ran out. Mere inches away from E'Rah's bloated chest, the blade vanished, returning to the world of Spirits and leaving the woman entirely intact.

"No!" Konami heard himself hiss, the voice alerting E'Rah to his presence as well. She scowled and swung her hand out toward him, summoning a wall of black energy that rushed toward him.

It quickly dispatched him, knocking him off his feet and down the road. Konami gasped as his back hit solid concrete, stars twinkling in his eyes as he rolled over to gather his bearings. As he did, he caught a glance of his failing Exodius; like him, the great behemoth was outmatched. The corrupted dragons had finally gathered that it was smarter to take him all at once, and had trapped him down beneath their legs while Stardust flew in for the final attack.

"Wait-!" Konami called out to them, but to no avail. The dragons only served E'Rah now, and with a final Cosmic Flare shot from the dark Stardust's dripping jaws, Exodius exploded in a wave of light.

Simultaneously, the card exploded from Konami's Duel Disk, breaking the device in half before vanishing into ash and dust.

"No..." Konami whispered, covering his face as he tried to endure yet another loss.

"It must hurt," E'Rah's voice whispered from behind him, "knowing that once again, you have failed to stop me. How much longer will you be able to endure, I wonder? How long until you succumb to despair? I suppose I'll never know."

Konami's eyes widened and he turned to throw a fist in the woman's face - only to find himself impaled through the chest by a dark, smoky spear. He gasped, blood spewing from his lips and chest as E'Rah ripped the spear free from him, and he fell to his knees, stunned.

"I do wish you would have taken my offer," E'Rah reproached, "but it matters not. There will be others. Those lost in the darkness of this ruined world. I will offer them what I offered you...and sooner or later, one of them will buckle. I have seen it happen countless times...and I shall see it happen countless more. A pity... I had hoped that one who once served under me would have the sense to avoid their own ruin, but I suppose Vylons will be Vylons...especially foolish Vanguards like you."

She looked down at Konami one last time, watching as he croaked and gasped for air that would not come. With wide and wild eyes, he grasped at his chest one last time, then fell slump on the ground, dead.

E'Rah stared at his corpse for but a second longer then turned on her heel to regard her waiting dragons.

"Ravage this world," she commanded with a sweep of her right hand. "Lay waste to its civilizations, and find me another survivor! I _will_ replenish this land...if only so that my feast can begin anew."

The remaining dragons screeched into the heavens as they took flight, and E'Rah slowly began to walk after them, content to watch the destruction from afar. Alas, in doing so, she'd nearly missed it - the small sliver of hope that remained.

A single heartbeat rang out.

E'Rah's eyes widened and she paused mid-step to stare at Konami's corpse once more. It was still slumped over, motionless, and yet...

 _ **"I don't remember the destroyer of Red Nova being so weak."**_

Konami's eyes opened wide as he found himself staring into the gates of the underworld.

"Where...where am I?" he wondered aloud, speaking a question he did not expect to be answered so soon.

 _ **"You stand on the threshold. Your body lies on the verge of death, and so, your soul has come here, as all chosen souls do, to bargain."**_

"Bargain?" Konami asked, "Bargain for what?"

 _ **"Victory."**_

"Over E'Rah?"

 _ **"Yes."**_

Konami chuckled despite himself. "You think you can win? After everything we've already tried? You must have seen. Even Exodius was no match for her, with the power of the Crimson Dragon on her side, she's practically invincible..."

As if angered by his words, miasma surged out of the gates, surrounding Konami in a thick black fog.

 _ **"FOOL! You'd dare presume that the Crimson Dragon and its worthless servants stand above me? Me, who pushed them to the brink of extinction with power alone?!"**_

"Wha- Alone?" Konami asked. "Impossible, there's only one monster that could have done such a thing, and it was destroyed long ago!"

 _ **"Destroyed? Hardly. You may have bested me with Exodia,**_ _boy_ _ **, but I was far from destroyed. Whispers of my power still remain, and it with that power that I shall destroy the Crimson Dragon as I attempted once before."**_

Konami's eyes narrowed. He had a good idea of just what he was with dealing with now, though he could hardly believe it himself.

"Red Nova," he spat angrily, "to think you would still be alive after all this time."

 _ **"Is it not thanks to you that I still exist?"**_

"What are you talking about?" Konami asked. "I destroyed you, all those years ago when the Signers and I defeated the Earthbound Immortals! All of them were destroyed!"

 _ **"All but one, I recall."**_

A light shone out of Konami's Deck, and his eyes widened as a single card few out to hover in front of him.

"Ah...!" he gasped, realizing what Red Nova was implying. "This card is..."

 _ **"Wiraqocha Rasca. Or rather, the form it took on after absorbing the energies of spacetime. Yes, the card you used to defeat Roman all those years ago...RASCA DAWN DRAGON!"**_

The light of card shone even brighter, blowing away the dark miasma as its identity was revealed.

 _ **"Due to your actions, the Earthbound Immortals were never completely defeated. Their power remains intact. For in taking the power of Wiraqocha Rasca and making it your own, you have inadvertently made yourself the last of that which you sought to destroy. A pity, you never realized it. Had you done so, perhaps things in the past wouldn't have ended the way they did."**_

"What?" Konami breathed, taking hold of the card as familiar dark lines began to run down his skin. "No, this can't be-!"

 _ **"Rejoice, Duelist! Your wish...has been granted!"**_

The miasma burst from the gates once more, and in the real world, Konami...awoke.

Wisps of black smoke and deadly winds followed his awakening, and E'Rah watched wide-eyed as Konami lifted himself back to his feet. Dark red lines began to burn down his face, trailing a path of destruction from his forehead down to the very bottom of his neck. A black cloak draped itself around his red jacket as they did, bearing the sigil of the Dark Signers.

"Impossible...!" E'Rah breathed as she stared at him, "I struck you through the heart! Even a Duel Spirit like yourself should be dead!"

"I did die," Konami told her, opening his eyes to reveal pitch black orbs save for glowing red pupils. "But it seems even the devil wants you dead. He seemed fit to let me cash in on my Extra Life, so I guess this means I get one more crack at you!"

E'Rah grit her teeth at the revelation then smirked. "Fool, you may have bought yourself a few more minutes in the world of the living, but they'll do you no good!" She raised her hand to the sky as she spoke, recalling the corrupted Dragons and Utimil Bishbaalkin to her side in an instant.

Unlike before, where he felt terror and agony at their presence, this time Konami grinned.

"Did you know, E'Rah?" he asked while gazing toward the towering Signer Dragons. "They say that when shadows envelop even darker shadows, the gates to the underworld are opened. And do you know what lies inside?"

"Your dead corpse!" E'Rah snarled, whipping her hand forward to make her dragons attack.

"No," Konami replied, "The correct answer is... _a world without light!_ "

And as he finished, a pitch-black dragon of his own came charging out of the ruined building behind him, catching the Signer Dragons and even E'Rah off-guard. Cashing in on that one second of distraction, Konami leapt forward and drove the jagged edge of his broken Duel Disk deep into E'Rah's chest.

The Goddess of Despair gasped as it drove straight through her, then turned her gaze down toward the scowling Konami.

"This is the end for you," he told her, and then he channeled the dark powers of the underworld into his makeshift blade, sending a corrupt pulse bursting from within E'Rah's wound. The woman twitched and gagged, then she fell, never to move again.

She was dead.

Immediately, Bishbaalkin and the other corrupted dragons made a leap at Konami, but with E'Rah's power no longer sustaining them, they vanished and returned to card form. Even the endless night sky had begun to fade, slowly peeling back to reveal a clear blue sky.

Konami stared at it for a single moment, then fell flat on his back, exhausted.

"I did it..." he whispered, "...I killed her, just like I said I would."

Tears began to well up in his eyes, his vision growing blurrier by the second until finally, he couldn't hold it in any longer.

"I'm sorry, everyone..." he cried, covering his face with his sleeve as he let the tears flow. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you..."

Of course, no one answered.

And no one ever would, because they were all dead.

"Why couldn't I have realized it sooner?" he asked himself. "Why couldn't I have just figured it out...? Why wasn't there enough time...?!"

That was what it all came down to, wasn't it?

Time.

If only he had more of it to spend with everyone.

If only he had been more precise with the time he did have...!

 _Ah-!_

As if struck by realization, Konami forced himself upright.

 _I didn't have enough Time,_ he thought. _But that's not right. No, if anything...I'm the one person in the world who has_ exactly _the right amount of time!_

He glanced across the road, where Enzo's smoking corpse still laid. He forced himself toward it, each and every step growing faster and faster until, finally, he wasn't sure he could run much faster.

He slid to Enzo's side, flipping the boy over so that he could examine the wrists.

 _Please be here,_ he thought while doing so, _Please be here - yes!_

There it was, the precious wristwatch Enzo had used to evacuate them when E'Rah had first summoned Bishbaalkin back in New Domino City. Even better, it seemed to still be in working condition-!

He carefully removed it from Enzo's wrist before strapping it to his own, then quickly pushed down on the miniature clock held inside.

Immediately, the door to the Ark Cradle shimmered into view. Konami lunged inside, desperate to know if everything had been left unscathed.

It had been.

"Thank goodness..." he whispered, falling to his knees as the tears began to roll once more. "With this...With this...!" He slammed his fists to the ground, and let out a victorious yell that no doubt scarred his already cracking vocal chords. But that was fine. It all was because, with the Ark Cradle intact, he had as much time as he needed.

Life as he knew it...could still be restored.

-TO BE CONTINUED-

 _Konami Kodo thought he was ready, but when a mysterious man in blue shows urges him to gather the former Dark Signers for the coming fight, he has to wonder, how ready are they really? And more importantly...what does this mysterious 'K' have to do with it? Find out soon, in_ _ **Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's: Tag Force 2**_


	7. Author's Note: Continue?

Hello everyone. I understand it's been a while, and once again I must apologize. Though I understand it's not an excuse and that I probably should have let you all know when the situations occurred, personal real life issues followed by the subsequent crap out of my computer hard drive prevented me from continuing the tag Force Series and its spin-off, the learning to series.

Those situations have now been more or less handled, so I am here today to pose a question. As it's been awhile, I want to ask whether or not any of the series' readers still have interest in seeing the story reach its final conclusion, or if they believe the story is better off unfinished. If I was to continue the story, I would likely write it all at once before updating, to prevent the seemingly usual habit of long hiatuses and various absences that I am no doubt known for. If not, I would either put the series up for adoption or leave it unfinished so that you all may come up with your own conclusions for Konami and the gang.

To reach an answer, I have set up a profile Poll on my profile to determine what will be done. You may use it at your leisure, and I will check the results daily to see what you all think.

Thank you for reading up until now, and hopefully later on,

Hiyuusha


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